《Grimes 041 The Rub》作者： - A. Bertram Chandler【EPUB】

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The RubSlowly Grimes awakened from his nightmare.It had been so real too real and the worst part of it was always the deepsense of loss. There was that shocking contrast between the dreary lifethat he was living in the dream and the rich and full life that he somehowknew that he should be living. There was his wife—that drab unimaginativewoman with her irritating mannerisms—and that memory of somebody elsesomebody whom he had never met never would meet somebody elegantand slim somebody with whom he had far more in common than just thephysical side of marriage somebody who knew books and music and thevisual arts and yet evinced a deep appreciation of the peculiar psychologyof the spaceman.Slowly Grimes awakened.Slowly he realized that he was not in his bedroom in the Base Commandersquarters on Zetland. He listened to the small comforting noises: theirregular throbbing of the inertial drive the sobbing of pumps the soughingof the ventilation system the thin high whine of the Mannschenn Driveunit. And there was the soft steady breathing of the woman in the bedwith him. That other one snored.But—such was the impression that his dream had made upon him—he hadto be sure. All cats are gray in the dark. Without too much fumbling hefound the stud of the light switch on his side of the bed. His reading lampcame on. Its light was soft subdued—but it was enough to wake Sonya.She looked up at him irritably her lean face framed by the auburn hair thatsomehow retained its neatness its sleekness even after sleep. Shedemanded sharply quotWhat is it JohnquotHe said quotIm sorry. Sorry I woke you that is. But I had to be sure.quotHer face and voice immediately softened. quotThat dream of yours againquotquotYes. The worst part of it is knowing that you are somewhere somewhenbut that I shall never meet you.quotquotBut you did.quot She laughed with him not at him. quotAnd thats your bad luck.quotquotMy good luckquot he corrected. quotOur good luck.quotquotI suppose that we could have done worse . . .quot he admitted.Grimes was awakened again by the soft chiming of the alarm. From his sideof the